Love Where You Live – Soul Purpose
The Revival of Uptown Sports Club
Words by Chris Ferguson & Janine Stankus| Photos by Eric Morales & Baptiste Despois
Gumbo and po’ boys lead a rich menu with casual, all-day service in an historic and thoughtfully revitalized building on the corner of East 6th and Waller streets.
“We were all preservation nerds who have passed this building for years, peeking through the cracks to look inside, just like everybody else,” muses Aaron Franklin. “But once we got the space, we let the building talk to us. We popped over with some beer and lawn chairs and sat on the dirt floor. It was all damp and mildewy, with a little light shining in through the boarded-up windows. And it was like, ‘you know, I know what to do.’”
Fast forward to March 2023, and Aaron and a team of partners (including Mohawk co-owner James Moody, Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, Tenaya Hills of Bunkhouse Group, and attorney Jason Jones) celebrated the opening of Uptown Sports Club, namesake of Arnold and Ron Hernandez’s long running establishment that operated from the same building from 1969-2000.
Years in the making, it was a milestone that marked a new era for the once-defunct space, which had remained vacant for 23 years, ultimately becoming a curiosity as the handsome building decayed while somehow eluding bulldozers.
The late 19th century structure is actually among the oldest in East Austin. It was originally a bakery, then a butcher shop, and then a series of grocers, until the Hernandez family converted it to a sports bar and café. Today, Aaron and his team have elevated the casual atmosphere, while preserving its architecture and legacy as an “anytime” social destination for good food and good friends.
The menu is concisely curated; the gumbo and savory sandwiches are complemented by a rotating raw bar boasting East Coast oysters and juicy shrimp cocktails. Carnivores can’t miss the Uptown Burger, available all day. “It’s meant to be a big, rich, gluttonous, sloppy cheeseburger,” Aaron divulges. “It’s double patties, double cheese (one slice American and one year-aged white cheddar), pickles, Dijon, and mayo. It’s just an ooey-gooey brisket burger that’s our own proprietary blend of high-quality beef and ribeye cap.”
A round-the-clock café and bar offer staples like coffee, beer, and wine, yet also feature a series of signature “Uptown” cocktails that play well alongside the classics, which are always available.
The venue’s renaissance is a welcome respite for a side of Austin that has seen countless historic properties razed and replaced ad nauseum. Reverberant with heritage and downright good taste, Uptown embodies the enduring spirit of Old Austin.
Contact:
1200 E 6th St.
uptownsports.club
@uptownsportsclub
Old Bones
The building officially dates back to the early 1890s, when it was a bakery.
Stay Tuned
Uptown will be the home base for Hot Luck Festival next spring.
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